Hanna-Barbera Productionswas a cartoon company that began with a pair of MGM Studio Staff, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The two createdTom and Jerry,and then went into business for themselves with their own company in 1957. Between then and shutting its doors in 2001, the company created 175 various cartoon shows and serials.
The properties of Hanna-Barbera include some of the best-known cartoon characters of all time, and their properties are still used byWarner Brostoday. Choosing the best among them is a difficult task, but these shows are among the company’s highlights.
Updated July 26, 2025, by C.M Edwards:The legacy of animation today was built off of the artists and cartoons of yesterday. The classicspaved the way for Pixar, Dreamworks, and other studios for the characters that fans all around the world love. In the beginning, there were very few brands that created memorable characters that have stood the test of time and curated a legacy. One of those brands was Hanna-Barbera, who is responsible for some of the most beloved cartoon characters in history who are benchmarks for the cartoons of today. Hanna-Barbera created classic cartoons that filled the homes of thousands with laughter for over fifty years. Here are more of the best cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera.
14Magilla Gorilla
Magilla is the lovable hunk who spends his days in a pet shop, enjoying the easy life snacking on bananas. Created in the early sixties,Magilla Gorillaran for three years and 31 episodes.
As an intelligent ape, capable of speech, Magilla always found himself getting into trouble or being taken advantage of by thieves who wanted to use him for his strength. However, each episode ended with him being returned to the reluctant pet shop owner due to his abrasive attitude.
13Jabberjaw
JabberjawsawSaturday morning cartoon successthanks to the likes ofJosie and the Pussycats,as another group of musically inclined rag-tag teenagers who go on wacky adventurers. However, this group’s mascot was a sixteen-foot shark who could speak and play the drums.
Jabberjawaired for three years and went on to crossover with a few other Hanna-Barbera cartoons.Jabberjawbecame a hit for its musical endings that would lead the crew on a chase scene to one of their original songs.
12The Huckleberry Hound Show
Huckleberry Hound is one of the most renowned characters created by Hanna-Barbera. The show even won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement In The Field Of Children’s Programming.
The show followed Huckleberry, a blue hound-dog who would go on misadventures around the country similar to a hobo or drifter. Huckleberry would take every mishap with an easygoing smile and a Tennessee accent, and continue on down the road without a care in the world.
11Space Ghost
Space Ghostwas one of the few superhero animated shows that came from Hanna-Babera. The show as created in the sixties and went for only one season, but developed a cult following over the years.
The show’s titular character was an intergalactic super being who explored the universe thwarting evil using his powers that were fueled by sunlight, similar toSuperman from DC Comics.Not too long ago,Space Ghosteven crossed over with one of DC Comic’s strongest characters, the Green Lantern.
10Josie And The Pussycats
While they are currently appearing on Riverdale in a different form, the original screen adaption of this Archie Comics trio was a Hanna-Barbera show in the 1970s. Josie, Melody, and Valerie solved mysteries, had to deal with the antics of their manager’s cruel twin sister, and playedgreat songs at their rock shows.
Not only did they have their own show, but there was a follow-up series set in space to boot. The trio have remained a great property for Hanna-Barbera and others over the years and even had a film that came out in 2001.
9Hong Kong Phooey
There is a certain majesty to a dog janitor that learns kung-fu through a mail order catalog.Hong Kong Phooeywould constantly try to take down criminals and usually manage it, through one accident or another, as well as through the help of his friends.
This show is well-remembered today, even if it has had fewer revivals than many of the top Hanna-Barbera productions since the initial run. But this take on the 1970s martial arts movies of the time was a joyous watch andremains excellent viewing to this day.
8Top Cat
The adventures of Top Cat and the many other cats of Hoagy’s Alley was an early Hanna-Barbera production. The show took off and remains well-known today, through comic book runs and even multiple films released in the last ten years.
While Top Cat had both the smugness of Bugs Bunny in his trickster attitude and a merry band of friends around, it was his foil in Officer Charlie Dibble that created the formula for the show to run so successfully. Together, Top Cat and Dibble created magic weekly as Top Cat continued attempting to become a member of the upper class through his antics.
7The Jetsons
This futuristic family is still revered and remembered in pop culture, and likely will be forever. It would be a much better-regarded property if it had been an original idea, butThe Flintstonesformula was taken and reused for a future family instead of one set in the far past.
Mocking 1960s life through their future antics and producing many memorable moments in their run, the Jetsons have again had less revival experience than many of their counterpart Hanna-Barbera productions. Nevertheless, the name is well-remembered in the history of pop culture.
6Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is another early breakout for Hanna-Barbera, appearing first in 1958 inThe Yogi Bear Showalongside his sidekick Boo Boo. A more original form of Top Cat in some ways, Yogi Bear was a charismatic animal lead that constantly frustrated his human foil, in the form of Ranger Smith.
Yogi was so immediately popular that he became the face of Hanna-Barbera for years, and many aspects of his show are still ingrained in pop culture to this day. Alongside other fan-favorite characters like Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle, Yogi Bear has endured in popularity as one of the very best Hanna-Barbera properties. He’s had many cartoon follow-ups, as well as a film revival in 2010.
5Tom & Jerry
WhileTom & Jerryisn’t technically a Hanna-Barbera cartoon, it was created by the two men behind the company and is the show that initiallybrought them together.It will go down in history as a Hanna-Barbera production, and had enduring popularity that even resulted in a live-action film in 2021.
The antics of a cartoon cat trying to finally capture a cartoon mouse are classic, elegant, and wonderful fun even to watch today. Alongside notable names like theLooney Tunes,Tom & Jerryisa piece of cartoon historythat deserves a revered place.
